Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Acknowledgments ix
4. Introduction: In Search of Black Readers 1
5. 1 ‘‘Dreaded Eloquence’’: The Origins and Rise of African American Literary Societies 23
6. 2 Spreading the Word: The Cultural Work of the Black Press 84
7. 3 Literary Coalitions in the Age of Washington 141
8. 4 Reading, Writing, and Reform in the Woman’s Era 187
9. 5 Georgia Douglas Johnson and the Saturday Nighters 251
10. Epilogue: Building Community in Contemporary Reading Groups 297
11. Notes 317
12. Bibliography 387
13. Index 401